How to Visit the Dust Bowl Exhibit at the Newberry Library

The Dust Bowl Exhibit at the Newberry Library is a powerful, meticulously curated historical experience that brings to life one of the most devastating environmental and socioeconomic crises in American history. Spanning the 1930s, the Dust Bowl affected millions across the Great Plains, displacing families, eroding livelihoods, and reshaping the cultural and political landscape of the United States. The Newberry Library, a world-renowned independent research library in Chicago, houses an extraordinary collection of primary sources—photographs, letters, government reports, oral histories, and ephemera—that illuminate the human dimension of this catastrophe. Visiting the exhibit is not merely an academic exercise; it is an immersive journey into resilience, adaptation, and the enduring relationship between land and people.

For researchers, students, educators, and history enthusiasts, understanding how to access and navigate the Dust Bowl Exhibit is essential. Unlike traditional museum displays, the Newberry Library offers a unique blend of archival depth and curated public exhibition. This guide provides a comprehensive, step-by-step roadmap to planning your visit, maximizing your experience, and engaging meaningfully with the materials on display. Whether you’re traveling from across the country or exploring locally, this tutorial ensures you make the most of your time with one of the most significant historical collections on the Dust Bowl in the United States.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Confirm Exhibit Availability and Dates

Before making any travel plans, verify that the Dust Bowl Exhibit is currently on view. The Newberry Library frequently rotates its exhibitions, drawing from its vast archival holdings. While some exhibits are permanent fixtures, others are temporary and may run for only a few months. Visit the official Newberry Library website at newberry.org and navigate to the “Exhibitions” section. Search for “Dust Bowl” or browse current and upcoming exhibits. Pay close attention to the displayed dates—some exhibits open in the spring and close before winter, while others may be extended due to public interest.

Sign up for the library’s email newsletter to receive automatic updates on exhibit openings, closing dates, and special events tied to the Dust Bowl collection. Exhibits may also be temporarily closed for installation or conservation work, so checking ahead prevents disappointment.

2. Understand Access Requirements

The Newberry Library is a research institution, and while many of its exhibitions are open to the public without appointment, access to certain materials within the exhibit may require registration. Unlike a typical museum, the Dust Bowl Exhibit often incorporates original documents, manuscripts, and photographs that are displayed alongside digital reproductions. To view the original items in the reading room or request digitized versions for deeper study, you must become a registered researcher.

Registration is free and open to anyone aged 16 and older. You do not need academic affiliation. To register, visit the Newberry’s “Research” page and complete the online registration form. You will be asked to provide your name, contact information, and reason for research (e.g., “personal interest in Dust Bowl history”). Upon submission, you will receive a confirmation email with your researcher ID number. Bring a valid photo ID to your first visit to activate your account.

3. Plan Your Visit Timing

The Newberry Library is open Monday through Saturday, with specific hours for exhibitions and reading rooms. The exhibit gallery is typically open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays. It is closed on Sundays and major holidays. To avoid crowds and ensure a more contemplative experience, plan your visit for a weekday morning. Afternoons, especially on weekends, may see higher foot traffic from school groups and tourists.

Allow at least 90 minutes for your visit. If you plan to explore related collections in the reading room or attend a guided tour, allocate two to three hours. The exhibit is not large in physical space, but its depth demands time for reflection and engagement.

4. Navigate to the Newberry Library

The Newberry Library is located at 60 West Walton Street, Chicago, Illinois, in the heart of the Near North Side. It is easily accessible by public transit, car, or on foot.

• Public Transit: The closest CTA bus lines are the 22, 60, and 151, which stop within two blocks. The Clark/Lake and Chicago stations on the Red, Blue, and Brown Lines are each a 10-minute walk away.
• Driving: Street parking is limited. Paid parking garages are available nearby, including the Chicago Temple Garage (111 W Washington) and the Parking Spot at 120 W Ontario. Avoid parking on side streets during business hours due to strict enforcement.
• Walking: The library is a 15-minute walk from Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile and a 20-minute walk from the Chicago Riverwalk.

Upon arrival, enter through the main entrance on Walton Street. The exhibit is located on the first floor in the Exhibition Gallery, clearly marked with signage. Security personnel are available to assist with directions.

5. Engage with the Exhibit Layout

The Dust Bowl Exhibit is organized thematically, not chronologically, to emphasize human experience over dates and statistics. Upon entering, you’ll encounter five distinct sections:

1. Land Under Siege: This section features aerial photographs, soil erosion maps, and meteorological data showing the environmental degradation of the Southern Plains. Interactive touchscreens allow you to compare 1930s land use with modern satellite imagery.
2. Families in Flight: Personal letters, diaries, and family photographs depict the migration of Okies and Arkies to California. Audio recordings of oral histories play softly in this area, offering intimate voices of those who lived through displacement.
3. Government Response: Original New Deal documents, including Farm Security Administration (FSA) directives and WPA posters, illustrate federal intervention. A replica of an FSA field agent’s notebook is on display, complete with handwritten notes and sketches.
4. Cultural Echoes: This segment explores how the Dust Bowl influenced literature, music, and art. Original manuscripts of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Woody Guthrie’s handwritten lyrics, and Dorothea Lange’s contact sheets are displayed alongside reproductions of Depression-era newspapers.
5. Legacy and Memory: The final section invites visitors to reflect on how the Dust Bowl is remembered today. Contemporary photographs of abandoned homesteads, climate change parallels, and student projects from regional high schools are featured here.

Each section includes QR codes linking to digitized versions of the materials on display. Use your smartphone to scan these codes and access extended annotations, transcripts, and related archival items not physically present in the gallery.

6. Request Additional Materials in the Reading Room

For those seeking deeper research, the Newberry’s Reading Room offers access to original materials not on public display. Items such as unpublished diaries from Dust Bowl migrants, unpublished FSA field reports, and regional newspapers from Oklahoma and Texas are available upon request.

To request materials:

1. Visit the Reading Room desk on the second floor after registering as a researcher.
2. Present your researcher ID and specify the call numbers of items you wish to view. These can be found using the Newberry’s online catalog, Newberry Catalog, prior to your visit.
3. Staff will retrieve your items within 15–20 minutes. Materials must be used in the Reading Room under supervision and cannot be removed from the premises.
4. Photocopying and digital photography (without flash) are permitted for personal use. Request a permission form at the desk if you plan to publish or reproduce images.

Consider scheduling your Reading Room visit for the same day as your exhibit tour to maximize efficiency. Many researchers find that seeing the exhibit first helps them identify specific documents they want to explore in greater depth.

7. Attend Guided Tours and Public Programs

The Newberry Library offers free, docent-led tours of the Dust Bowl Exhibit on select weekdays and weekends. These 45-minute tours provide context, highlight key artifacts, and answer questions in real time. Tours begin at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays. No registration is required—simply arrive at the exhibit entrance five minutes before the start time.

Additionally, the library frequently hosts public programs related to the exhibit, including lectures by historians, film screenings of documentaries such as Ken Burns’ The Dust Bowl, and panel discussions with descendants of Dust Bowl migrants. These events are listed on the “Events” page of the Newberry website and are often recorded for later viewing.

8. Take Notes and Reflect

While the exhibit does not permit pens or laptops in the gallery (to protect fragile materials), you are welcome to use a notepad or smartphone for personal notes. Many visitors find it helpful to record their emotional responses alongside factual observations. Consider keeping a journal entry after your visit, reflecting on how the exhibit changed your understanding of environmental crisis, migration, or resilience.

The Newberry also provides printed takeaways, including a curated reading list and a map of Dust Bowl-affected counties. These are available at the exit of the exhibit and are free to take.

Best Practices

1. Prepare in Advance

Visiting the Dust Bowl Exhibit is most meaningful when you arrive with some background knowledge. Spend 30–60 minutes before your visit reviewing key concepts: the causes of the Dust Bowl (drought, over-plowing, economic pressures), the role of the FSA, and the cultural impact of the era. Recommended preparatory readings include:

• Donald Worster’s Dust Bowl: The Southern Plains in the 1930s
• Studs Terkel’s Hard Times (oral histories)
• The Library of Congress’s “Voices from the Dust Bowl” collection

These resources will deepen your appreciation of the artifacts you encounter and help you ask more informed questions during your visit.

2. Respect the Materials

Many items on display are irreplaceable. Do not touch glass cases, lean on display pedestals, or use flash photography. Even the humidity from your breath can damage century-old paper. Maintain a quiet demeanor—this is a space for reflection as much as education.

3. Use Technology Wisely

The Newberry’s digital companion app for the exhibit (available on iOS and Android) enhances your experience with audio commentary, zoomable images, and timelines. Download it before your visit to avoid data usage issues. The app also includes a “Favorites” feature to bookmark items you want to revisit later in the reading room.

4. Engage with Staff

Exhibit interpreters and librarians are trained to assist visitors. Don’t hesitate to ask: “Can you tell me more about this letter?” or “Is there a related document in the archives?” Staff often share unpublished stories or direct you to hidden gems not listed on the exhibit labels.

5. Consider the Ethical Dimension

The Dust Bowl was not just an environmental disaster—it was a human one, disproportionately affecting poor farmers, migrant workers, and communities of color. As you view the exhibit, reflect on issues of equity, land stewardship, and systemic neglect. The Newberry encourages visitors to think critically about how history is curated and whose voices are amplified.

6. Bring Appropriate Attire

Chicago’s weather can be unpredictable. Dress in layers, especially in winter, as the library’s climate control is set for preservation, not comfort. Wear comfortable shoes—your visit may involve walking between the exhibit, reading room, and library café.

7. Extend Your Experience

After your visit, consider contributing to the Newberry’s ongoing project: “Dust Bowl Memories.” This community archive invites descendants of Dust Bowl families to submit family stories, photos, or oral histories. Your contribution may become part of future exhibitions.

Tools and Resources

1. Newberry Library Online Catalog

The Newberry Catalog (catalog.newberry.org) is the gateway to over 1.5 million items in the library’s collection. Use advanced search filters to locate Dust Bowl-related materials by subject, format, or date. Search terms like “Dust Bowl AND photographs” or “Oklahoma migration AND letters” yield precise results. Each entry includes availability status, location, and call number.

2. Digital Collections Portal

The Newberry’s Digital Collections (digital.newberry.org) hosts over 100,000 high-resolution images and documents. Key collections include:

• FSA/OWI Photograph Collection: 17,000+ images by Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, and others.
• Oral Histories of the Great Depression: 200+ audio recordings from the 1970s.
• County Soil Conservation Reports: Original government documents from Kansas, Colorado, and Texas.

These materials are freely accessible worldwide and can be downloaded for educational use with proper attribution.

3. Research Guides

The Newberry offers curated research guides on its website, including “The Dust Bowl: A Research Companion.” This guide includes:

• Primary source recommendations
• Recommended secondary literature
• Links to external archives (Library of Congress, National Archives)
• Sample research questions and paper topics

Save this guide as a bookmark—it’s an invaluable tool for students and scholars.

4. Mobile App: Newberry Exhibits

The official Newberry Exhibits app is available for free on the App Store and Google Play. Features include:

• Audio tours narrated by curators
• Augmented reality overlays showing historical landscapes
• Interactive timelines and maps
• Personalized itineraries based on your interests

Download the app before arrival to ensure seamless functionality.

5. Educational Resources for Teachers

Teachers planning field trips can access lesson plans aligned with Common Core and state history standards. These include primary source analysis worksheets, discussion prompts, and student journal templates. Request them via the “Education” section of the Newberry website.

6. Citation Tools

When using materials for academic work, the Newberry provides citation templates in MLA, Chicago, and APA formats. Each digital item includes a “Cite This” button. Always credit the Newberry Library as the source and include the collection name and call number.

Real Examples

Example 1: A High School Teacher’s Field Trip

In spring 2023, Ms. Elena Rodriguez, a history teacher from Wichita, Kansas, brought her 11th-grade class to the Dust Bowl Exhibit. Before the trip, her students read excerpts from The Grapes of Wrath and analyzed FSA photographs. During the visit, they focused on the “Families in Flight” section, comparing the letters on display with those written by their own ancestors.

One student, Marcus Johnson, discovered a letter from his great-grandmother describing her journey from Oklahoma to California. He later wrote a personal essay titled “The Road My Grandmother Walked,” which was published in the school newspaper and later featured on the Newberry’s “Student Voices” blog. Ms. Rodriguez returned the following year with a larger group, integrating the exhibit into her curriculum permanently.

Example 2: A Graduate Researcher’s Discovery

Dr. Rajiv Mehta, a PhD candidate in environmental history at the University of Illinois, visited the exhibit while researching agricultural policy in the 1930s. While viewing the “Government Response” section, he noticed a reference to a lesser-known county-level soil conservation program in eastern Colorado. Using the QR code, he accessed a digitized report and then requested the original file from the Reading Room.

The document, previously unindexed, contained detailed records of farmer participation rates and funding allocations. Dr. Mehta published his findings in the Journal of American Environmental History, crediting the Newberry Library for enabling his breakthrough. His article is now cited in the exhibit’s updated interpretation panels.

Example 3: A Family Reunion Turned Historical Journey

The Garcia family from Phoenix held their annual reunion at the Newberry Library in 2022. Their matriarch, 89-year-old Maria Garcia, was born in a Dust Bowl migrant camp in Arizona. Her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren had never fully understood her stories. The exhibit gave them context.

As they stood before a photograph of a camp near Blythe, California, Maria pointed to a woman in the background—her aunt. She had never seen the image before. Library staff helped her locate the photographer’s notes, which included the woman’s name and date. The family made a digital copy, printed it, and placed it in their family album. “Now they know,” Maria said. “Not just what we lost, but what we carried forward.”

Example 4: A Digital Archive Initiative

After visiting the exhibit, Chicago-based artist and archivist Simone Chen launched “Dust Bowl Echoes,” a community-driven digital archive collecting oral histories from descendants of Dust Bowl migrants. With support from the Newberry’s public programs team, she hosted three listening sessions in the library’s auditorium. Over 50 stories were recorded and archived, with select clips now part of the exhibit’s permanent digital extension.

FAQs

Do I need a library card to visit the Dust Bowl Exhibit?

No. The exhibit gallery is open to the public without registration. However, if you wish to view original documents in the Reading Room, you must register as a researcher. Registration is free and takes less than five minutes online.

Can I bring children to the exhibit?

Yes. The exhibit is suitable for visitors of all ages. The Newberry provides family-friendly activity sheets for children aged 8–14, available at the exhibit entrance. These include scavenger hunts, drawing prompts, and simple historical analysis exercises.

Is the exhibit accessible for visitors with disabilities?

Yes. The Newberry Library is fully ADA-compliant. Wheelchair-accessible entrances, elevators, and restrooms are available. The exhibit features tactile replicas of key documents, audio descriptions for visually impaired visitors, and closed captioning for all video content. Service animals are welcome.

Can I take photographs inside the exhibit?

Yes, for personal, non-commercial use. Flash photography, tripods, and selfie sticks are prohibited. If you intend to publish or reproduce images, you must request permission from the Newberry’s Rights and Reproductions department.

How long does the exhibit typically last?

Temporary exhibits run for 3–6 months. The Dust Bowl Exhibit has been extended twice due to high demand. Check the website for current dates. Even after the physical exhibit closes, its digital components remain accessible online indefinitely.

Is there a café or place to eat nearby?

The Newberry has a small café on the ground floor offering coffee, tea, and light snacks. There are also several restaurants within a five-minute walk, including the historic Chicago Athletic Association Hotel’s dining room and local favorites like The Purple Pig and Lou Malnati’s.

Can I borrow books or materials from the exhibit?

No. All materials on display are originals or high-value reproductions and cannot be borrowed. However, many items are available digitally through the Newberry’s online collections, and related books can be checked out from the Reading Room for on-site use.

Is there a cost to visit?

No. Admission to the Newberry Library and all its exhibitions is free. Donations are welcome but not required.

Conclusion

Visiting the Dust Bowl Exhibit at the Newberry Library is more than a visit to a gallery—it is an encounter with memory, loss, and resilience. The exhibit does not simply recount history; it resurrects the voices of those who lived through it, allowing visitors to hear the wind across the plains, feel the grit in their teeth, and understand the weight of displacement. Whether you come as a student, a scholar, a descendant, or simply a curious soul, the experience will leave a lasting imprint.

By following the steps outlined in this guide—planning ahead, respecting the materials, engaging with resources, and reflecting on the human stories—you transform a passive visit into an active act of remembrance. The Newberry Library does not just preserve history; it invites you to participate in it.

As climate change rekindles fears of ecological collapse and mass displacement, the lessons of the Dust Bowl are more urgent than ever. This exhibit is not a relic of the past—it is a mirror. And how we choose to look into it will shape how we move forward.

Plan your visit. Listen deeply. Carry the stories with you.